Method for wrapping a vase containing a floral grouping

ABSTRACT

A method for wrapping a container, such as a vase containing a floral grouping, with a sheet of material. A connecting bonding material and a closure bonding material are disposed on the sheet of material. The sheet of material is wrapped about the vase causing the connecting bonding material to connect the sheet of material to the vase. The closure bonding material is sealed above the floral grouping to enclose the floral grouping within the sheet of material. The sheet of material may have a second closure bonding material for effecting a vertically sealed area in the sheet of material.

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/442,862, filedNov. 18, 1999, which is a continuation U.S. Ser. No. 08/877,780, filedJun. 17, 1997, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.08/461,480, filed Jun. 5, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,502, issued Nov.18, 1997, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 08/242,497, filed May13, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,813, issued Feb. 6, 1996, which is acontinuation-in part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/188,183, filed Jan. 28, 1994now U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,386 issued Feb. 14, 1995.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to methods for wrapping acontainer and more specifically to a method for wrapping a containersuch as a vase which contains a floral grouping.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet of material having bonding materialdisposed thereon.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vase having a floral grouping disposedtherein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vase of FIG. 2 disposed adjacent thesheet of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet of material after it has beenpartially wrapped and connected about the vase.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vase and the sheet of material ofFIG. 4 after the sheet of material has been closed about the upper endof the sheet of material.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a method of wrapping the sheet ofmaterial about the vase on an inclined surface.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a method of wrapping a sheet of materialabout an upright vase.

FIG. 8 is an alternate version of the sheet of material, the sheethaving a label disposed thereon.

FIG. 9 is an alternate version of the sheet of material, the sheethaving a detaching element therein.

FIG. 10 is an alternate version of the sheet of material having anadhesive portion thereon to which a label can be attached.

FIG. 11 is an alternate version of the sheet of material wherein thesheet has an extension for using as a handle.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a vase wrapped with the sheet ofmaterial of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of another sheet of material for use inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a vase partially wrapped by the sheetof material of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the wrapped vase of FIG. 14 with theupper end of the sheet of material closed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a method of wrapping a vase whichcontains a floral grouping for the purpose of protecting the floralgrouping during transport or storage, and particularly for protectingthe bloom portion of the floral grouping or for decorating the floralgrouping. The first step of the method comprises providing a vase havingan upper end, a lower end, an outer surface, and an inner surface whichdefines and encompasses an inner space. The inner space is accessiblevia an opening in the upper end. At least a portion of a floral groupinghaving an upper end is disposed within the inner space of the vase, theupper end of the floral grouping extending a distance from the upper endof the vase. Either following or preceding the aforementioned step, asheet of material having a first side, a second side, an upper end, alower end, an inner first surface and an outer second surface isprovided. The sheet of material further comprises a connecting bondingmaterial disposed upon a portion of the inner surface for connecting tothe outer surface of the vase. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet ofmaterial further comprises a closure bonding material also disposed upona portion of the inner first surface near the upper end of the sheet ofmaterial for effecting a sealed area.

The sheet of material may further comprise a second closure bondingmaterial for effecting a lengthwise seal along the sheet of material,after the sheet has been wrapped about the vase as described below.

In a wrapping step, the vase with the floral grouping contained thereinis disposed adjacent the inner first surface of the sheet of materialwhereby a portion of the connecting bonding material is positioned inclose proximity to a portion of the outer surface of the vase andwherein the closure bonding material is positioned a distance above theupper end portion of the floral grouping. The sheet of material is thenwrapped about an upper end of the vase whereby the connecting bondingmaterial causes the sheet of material to be connected to a portion ofthe upper end of the vase and whereby the upper end of the floralgrouping is completely encompassed and surrounded by the sheet ofmaterial such that the upper end of the sheet of material extends adistance above the upper end of the floral grouping. Finally, when thesheet of material has a closure bonding material, the upper end of thesheet of material is sealed by crimping together portions of the sheetof material having the closure bonding material disposed thereon forminga seal and a floral containing space below the seal and within which iscontained the portion of the floral grouping extending from the upperend of the vase. In an alternate version of the invention, the floralgrouping may be disposed within the vase after the sheet of material hasbeen connected to the outer surface of the vase, but before the closurebonding material, if present, is sealed.

The present invention, in another embodiment, comprises a plant package,comprising (1) a vase having an upper end, a lower end, an outersurface, and an inner surface which defines and encompasses an innerspace, the inner space accessible via an opening in the upper end, (2) afloral grouping having an upper end and a lower end, the lower enddisposed within the inner space of the vase, the upper end of the floralgrouping extending a distance from the upper end of the vase, and (3) awrapper comprising a sheet of material having a first side, a secondside, an upper end, a lower end, an inner first surface and an outersecond surface. The sheet of material further includes a connectingbonding material disposed upon a portion of the inner first surface forconnecting to the outer surface of the vase and a closure bondingmaterial also disposed upon a portion of the inner first surface of thesheet of material for effecting a sealed area. Whereby the sheet ofmaterial is wrapped about an upper end of the vase such that the sheetof material is connected by the connecting bonding material to a portionof the upper end of the vase and wherein the upper end of the floralgrouping is completely encompassed and surrounded by the sheet ofmaterial such that the upper end of the sheet of material extends adistance above the upper end of the floral grouping. A portion of thesheet of material near the upper end of the sheet of material is sealedtogether by the closure bonding material disposed thereon forming afloral containing space within which is contained the portion of thefloral grouping extending from the upper end of the vase.

The present invention will now be more particularly described. Referringnow to FIG. 1, a flat, non-tubular sheet of material is designated bythe general reference numeral 10. The sheet of material 10 has a firstside 12, a second side 14, an upper end 16, a lower end 18, an innerfirst surface 20 and an outer second surface 22. Disposed upon at leasta portion of the inner first surface 20 is a closure bonding material 24and a connecting bonding material 26. The closure bonding material 24extends from the first side 12 to the second side 14, and is spaced adistance 28 from the upper end 16 of the sheet of material 10. Theconnecting bonding material 26 extends from the first side 12 to thesecond side 14 and is spaced a distance 30 from the lower end 18 of thesheet of material 10. The closure bonding material 24 may be separatedfrom the connecting bonding material 26 by a distance 32 or the closurebonding material 24 and connecting bonding material 26 may becontinuous. Each of the distances 28 and 30 may be zero, that is, theconnecting bonding material 26 may be disposed along the lower end 18and the closure bonding material 24 may be disposed along the upper end16 of the sheet of material 10.

The sheet of material 10 has a height 34 extending between the upper end16 and the lower end 18 of the sheet of material 10. The sheet ofmaterial also has a length 36 extending between the first side 12 andthe second side 14 of the sheet of material 10.

Alternatively, the closure bonding material 24 and the connectingbonding material 26 may be disposed upon the entire inner first surface20 or substantially the entire inner first surface 20 of the sheet ofmaterial 10 (not shown). Further, although the closure bonding material24 and the connecting bonding material 26 are shown in FIG. 1 ascomprising continuous strips, either closure bonding material 24 orconnecting bonding material 26 may instead be disposed upon the sheet ofmaterial 10 in any other geometric form or pattern including blocks,spots, or designs. The sheet of material 10 may have a thickness in arange of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil. Preferably, the sheet ofmaterial 10 has a thickness in a range from about 0.2 mil to about 10mil. More preferably, the sheet of material 10 has a thickness of fromabout 0.5 mil to about 5 mil.

The sheet of material 10 may be any shape and a square or rectangularshape is shown in FIG. 1 only by way of example. The sheet of material10, may, for example, be square, rectangular, circular or any othergeometric shape such as heart-shaped, or any other shape which enhancesthe function of the sheet of material for the purpose disclosed herein.

The sheet of material 10 may be provided as a single sheet, as a pad ofsheets (not shown), or as a plurality of sheets supported by a hangingstructure (not shown), the sheets having holes or other means for beingsupported on the hanger (not shown).

The sheet of material 10 may be a single layer of material or aplurality of layers of the same or different types of materials. Anythickness of the sheet of material 10 may be utilized in accordance withthe present invention as long as the sheet of material 10 is wrappableabout a vase, in particular a bud vase, as described herein. The layersof material comprising the sheet of material 10 may be connectedtogether or laminated or may be separate layers.

The sheet of material 10 may be used in conjunction with a second sheetof material (not shown) which may be sized the same or smaller than thesheet of material 10. If used, the second sheet of material has athickness in a range from 0.1 mil to about 30 mil and preferably in arange from about 0.2 mil to about 10 mil. The second sheet of materialis flexible, but may be somewhat more rigid compared to the first sheetof material 10.

As noted earlier, preferably a closure bonding material 24 and aconnecting bonding material 26 are positioned on the inner first surface20 of the sheet of material 10. The closure bonding material 24 (whenpresent) and/or connecting bonding material 26 may be applied as a stripor as spots or other shapes. One method for disposing a bondingmaterial, in this case an adhesive or cohesive, is described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,111,637, entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping”,issued to Weder et al., on May 12, 1992 and which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

The term “bonding material or bonding element” when used herein means anadhesive, frequently a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. Whenthe bonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must bepresent on the surface to be bondingly contacted and bondingly connectedwith the cohesive material. The term “bonding material or bondingelement” also includes materials which are heat sealable and, in thisinstance, the adjacent portions of the material must be brought intocontact and then heat must be applied to effect the seal. The term“bonding material or bonding means” also includes materials which aresonic sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bonding material orbonding element” when used herein also means a heat sealing lacquer orhot melt material which may be applied to the material and, in thisinstance, heat sound waves, pressure, or vibrations, also must beapplied to effect the sealing.

Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as the bondingmaterial or element. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similarsubstrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. Thecold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does notcause a residue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting muchmore rapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles andreducing labor costs. Further, since no heat is required to effect theseal, the dwell time, that is, the time for the sheet of material toform and retain the shape of an article during formation of the article,such as a flower pot cover or flower pot, is reduced. A cold sealadhesive binds quickly and easily with minimal pressure, and such a sealis not readily releasable. This characteristic is different from, forexample, a pressure sensitive adhesive.

The first sheet of material 10 can be utilized alone or in combinationwith the second sheet of material (not shown) to wrap a vase such as abud vase as described in more detail below.

By “vase” is meant a vessel, substantially higher than it is wide, whichis used to hold a floral grouping or other decoration. Moreparticularly, the height of the vase is generally at least three to fivetimes greater than the narrowest diameter. The vase may be constructedfrom glass, plastic, metal, clay or other earthenware, porcelain or anyother material which functions to hold a floral grouping in accordancewith the present invention. When used herein the term “bud vase ” refersto a vase for holding just one to several cut flowers or buds.

The term “vase” refers to any type of container used for holding afloral grouping or single floral cuttings. “Floral grouping” as usedherein means cut fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flowereither fresh and/or artificial plants or other floral materials and mayinclude other secondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial ornatural materials which add to the aesthetics of the overall floralarrangement. The floral grouping generally comprises a bloom or foliageportion and a stem portion. However, it will be appreciated that thefloral grouping may consist of only a singe bloom or only foliage (notshown). The term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeably hereinwith the term “floral arrangement”.

The sheet of material 10 and the second sheet of material (if used) maybe constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers ofthe same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet ofmaterial 10 may be utilized in accordance with the present invention aslong as the sheet of material 10 may be wrapped or formed about at leasta portion of a vase and floral grouping contained therein, in the mannerdescribed herein. Additionally, an insulating material such as bubblefilm, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilized in orderto provide additional protection for the item wrapped therein.

In a preferred embodiment, the sheet of material 10 is constructed fromtwo polypropylene films laminated together (e.g. a polypropylene filmsuch as Mobil 220 AB clear film laminated to a sheet of Mobil 270 ABWwhite opaque film). The sheet of material 10 is constructed from anysuitable wrapping material that is capable of being wrapped about a vasecontaining a floral grouping. Preferably, the wrapping material 10comprises a paper, untreated or treated in any manner, cellophane, foil,polymer film, fabric, woven or nonwoven or synthetic or natural, burlap,or combinations thereof. The term “polymer film” means a man-madepolymer such as a polypropylene or a naturally occurring polymer such ascellophane. A polymer film is relatively strong and not as subject totearing (substantially non-tearable), as might be the case with paper orfoil.

The sheet of material 10 may vary in color. Further, the sheet ofmaterial 10 may consist of designs or decorative patterns which areprinted, etched, and/or embossed thereon using inks or other printingmaterials. An example of an ink which may be applied to the surface ofthe sheet of material 10 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706,entitled “Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or Synthetic Organic Polymer”,issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference. In addition, the sheet of material 10 may havevarious colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallic finishes, or otherdecorative surface ornamentation applied separately or simultaneously ormay be characterized totally or partially by pearlescent, translucent,transparent, iridescent or the like, qualities. Each of the above-namedcharacteristics may occur alone or in combination and may be applied tothe inner first surface 20 and/or outer second surface 22 of the sheetof material 10 or near the upper end 16 or near the lower end 18 of thesheet of material 10. Moreover, each inner first surface 20 or outersecond surface 22 of the sheet of material 10 may vary in thecombination of such characteristics. The sheet of material 10 itself maybe opaque, translucent or partially clear or tinted transparent.

The sheet of material 10 may also be constructed, in whole or in part,from a cling material. “Cling Wrap or Material” when used herein meansany material which is capable of connecting to itself upon contactingengagement during the wrapping process and is wrappable about an itemwhereby portions of the cling material contactingly engage and connectto other portions of another material, or, alternatively, itself, forgenerally partially securing the material wrapped about at least aportion of a vase. This connecting engagement is preferably temporary inthat the material may be easily removed, i.e., the cling material“clings” to the vase.

The cling material is constructed and treated if necessary, frompolyethylene such as Cling Wrap made by Glad®, First Brands Corporation,Danbury, Conn. The thickness of the cling material will, in part, dependupon the size of sheet 10 and the size of the vase. A larger vase mayrequire a thicker and therefore stronger cling material. The clingmaterial will range in thickness from less than about 0.1 mil to about10 mil, and preferably less than about 0.5 mil to about 2.5 mil and mostpreferably from less than about 0.6 mil to about 2 mil. However, anythickness of cling material may be utilized in accordance with thepresent invention which permits the cling material to function asdescribed herein.

Shown in FIG. 2 and designated by the general reference numeral 40 is avase used in accordance with the present invention. The vase 40 has anupper end 42 which has an opening 44, a lower end 46, an outer surface48, an inner surface 50 and an inner space 52 which is defined andencompassed by the inner surface 50 and which is accessible through theopening 44. The vase 40 may have a floral grouping 54 which has at leasta portion thereof disposed within the inner space 52. The vase 40 mayfurther have a floral holding medium (such as foam) 56 disposed withinthe inner space 52 for holding a portion of the floral grouping 54, forproviding moisture or nutrients, or for providing additional weight tothe vase 40 to counterbalance the floral grouping 54. The floral holdingmedium 56 may further comprise a growing medium for extending the lifeof the floral grouping 54 disposed within the inner space 52 of the vase40. Such floral holding materials 56 are well known to those of ordinaryskill in the art and may be purchased commercially.

As noted above, the floral grouping 54 generally comprises a bloomportion 58 and a stem portion 60. Further, the floral grouping 54 maycomprise a root portion (not shown) as well. However, it will beappreciated that the floral grouping 54 may consist of only a singlebloom or only foliage, or a botanical item (not shown), or a propagule(not shown). The term “floral grouping” may also be used interchangeablyherein with the terms “botanical item” and/or “propagule”.

The term “growing medium” when used herein means any liquid, solid orgaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivation ofpropagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

The term “botanical item” when used herein means a natural or artificialherbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term“botanical item” also means any portion or portions of natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers,blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination,or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.

The term “propagule” when used herein means any structure capable ofbeing propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds;shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.

A method of use of the present invention is represented in FIGS. 3 and4. FIG. 3 shows a vase 40 having a floral grouping 54 disposed with theinner space 52 thereof. The upper end 42 of the vase 40 and the floralgrouping 54 are disposed adjacent a portion of the inner first surface20 of the sheet of material 10. The vase 40 is then rotated in adirection 62 as a portion of the outer surface 48 of the vase 40 ismanually or automatically engagingly pressed against the connectingbonding material 26 of the sheet of material 10. The vase 40 isrollingly urged, thereby engaging the connecting bonding material 26 ofthe sheet of material 10. A connected area 64 is thereby formed (FIGS. 4and 5) in the sheet of material 10 where the sheet of material 10 isbondingly connected to the outer surface 48 of the vase 40. In the nextstep, the closure bonding material 24 is crimped together to close theupper end 16 of the sheet of material 10, forming a crimped area 66 asshown in FIG. 5, wherein is formed a plant package 68 comprising thewrapped and connected sheet of material 10, the vase 40 and the floralgrouping 54. When the lower end 18 of the sheet of material 10 isbondingly connected to the vase 40 and the upper end 16 of the sheet ofmaterial 10 is crimpingly closed, a floral containing space 70 whichsurrounds the upper portion 58 of the floral grouping 54 is formed. Inan alternate version of the invention, the closure bonding material 24,may be left uncrimped leaving the upper end 16 of the sheet of material10 unsealed (not shown).

When the connecting bonding material 26 is a cohesive, an additionalcohesive bonding material may be disposed upon a portion of the outersurface 48 of the vase 40 near the upper end 42 of the vase 40 forconnecting to the connecting bonding material 26 on the sheet ofmaterial 10. The vase 40 may further comprise a bonding material (notshown) disposed on the bottom of the lower end 46 thereof for enablingthe vase 40 to be connected to a surface to stabilize the vase 40 in avertical position once it has been wrapped.

As noted above, the inner space 52 of the vase 40 or the floral holdingmaterial 56 may contain a liquid or granular material which, if the vase40 is tipped flat, may leak from the vase 40. Therefore, it may bedesirable in certain situations to wrap the sheet of material 10 aboutthe vase 40 on an inclined surface such as the inclined surface shown inFIG. 6 and designated by the reference numeral 72. It will also beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the sheet ofmaterial 10 could be wrapped about the vase 40 while the vase 40 ismaintained in an upright or nearly upright configuration by holding thevase 40 manually or automatically in a stationary position and wrappingthe sheet of material 10 thereabout. One can also envision a process inwhich a sheet of material 10 is held disposed in an upright position anda vase 40, also positioned uprightly, is rotated from the first side 12of the sheet of material 10 to the second side 14 of the sheet ofmaterial 10 causing the connecting bonding material 26 on the sheet ofmaterial 10 to be connected to a portion of the outer surface 48 of thevase 40 as described above. An apparatus for enabling such a process isshown in FIG. 7, designated therein by reference numeral 74. Theapparatus 74 supports a plurality of sheets of material 10, each ofwhich can be detached separately from a hanger 75.

It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that numerousvariations in the construction of the sheet of material 10 may be madeto enhance the function of the plant package 68 (not shown). Forexample, ventilation holes (not shown) may be disposed in portions ofthe sheet of material 10 for allowing gas exchange between the outeratmosphere and the floral containing space 70 (not shown) of the plantpackage 68 (not shown). A label 76 or other information deliverymechanism may be affixed or affixable to the outer second surface 22 ofthe sheet of material 10 for providing information useful to thepackager, distributor, seller or buyer of the plant package 68. Shown inFIG. 8 is such a sheet of material 10 a which is similar to the sheet ofmaterial 10 but which also has a label designated by the referencenumeral 76.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 9, is a sheet of material 10 b,which is similar to the sheet of material 10 but further comprises adetaching element 78 for allowing an upper portion 80 of the sheet ofmaterial 10 b to be detached from a lower portion 82 of the sheet ofmaterial 10 b after the sheet of material 10 b has been connectinglydisposed about the upper end 42 of the vase 40. The detaching element 78may be a line of perforations, a tear strip or any other means foreffecting the separation of the upper portion 80 from the lower portion82 of the sheet of material 10 b. After the detaching step, the lowerportion 82 may remain to provide a protective function and/or adecorative function.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 10, is a sheet of materialdesignated by the reference numeral 10 c. The sheet of material 10 c issimilar to the sheet of material 10 except the sheet of material 10 cfurther comprises an area of a bonding material 84 on the outer secondsurface 22 c of the sheet of material 10 c. The bonding material 84 maybe concealed by a release strip 86, shown in FIG. 10 as partially peeledaway from the bonding material 84. The bonding material 84 may be used,after the sheet of material 10 c has been disposed about a vase 40 asdescribed above, to attach a label or other information delivery element(not shown) for identifying the plant package or for providinginstructions, or for any other purpose in accordance with the presentinvention.

In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a sheet of material isdesignated by the general reference numeral 10 d. The sheet of material10 d is similar to the sheet of material 10 except the sheet of materialSod has an extension from the upper end 16 d thereof which serves as ahandle 88 once the sheet of material 10 d has been connectingly andcrimpingly wrapped and closed about a vase 40 in the manner previouslydescribed.

Referring now to FIG. 13, another sheet of material constructed for usein accordance with the present invention is designated by the generalreference numeral 10 e. The sheet of material 10 e is similar to thesheet of material 10 except for the differences described herein.

The sheet of material 10 e has a first side 12 e, a second side 14 e, anupper end 16 e, a lower end 18 e, an inner first surface 20 e and anouter second surface 22 e. Disposed upon at least a portion of the innerfirst surface 20 e is a first closure bonding material 24 e and aconnecting bonding material 26 e and a second closure bonding material90. The first closure bonding material 24 e extends from the first side12 e to the second side 14 e, and is spaced a distance 28 e from theupper side 16 e. The connecting bonding material 26 e extends from thefirst side 12 e to the second side 14 e and is spaced a distance 30 efrom the lower end 18 e of the sheet of material 10 e. The first closurebonding material 24 e may be separated from the connecting bondingmaterial 26 e by a distance 32 e. Each of the distances 28 e and 30 emay be zero, as described above for the sheet of material 10.

The second closure bonding material 90 is disposed contiguous to thesecond side 14 e and preferably extends from the upper end 16 e to thelower end 18 e.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the sheet of material 10 e may be wrappedabout the vase 40 in exactly the same manner as explained previously forthe embodiments shown in FIGS. 3-5. After the connecting bondingmaterial 26 e of the sheet of material 10 e bondingly engages the sheetof material 10 e to the vase 40, the second connecting bonding material90 is bondingly connected to portions of the outer second surface 22 eof the sheet of material 10 e for effecting a seal 92 which extends atleast part way between the upper end 16 e and the lower end 18 e of thesheet of material 10 e. As shown in FIG. 15, after the seal 92 isformed, the first closure bonding material 24 e may be crimped togetheras described above to form a crimped portion 66 in the sheet of material10 e. Alternatively, the sealed area 92 may be formed after the crimpedportion 66 has been formed.

Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the variouscomponents, elements and assemblies described herein or in the steps orthe sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wrapping a vase having a floralgrouping disposed therein, comprising the steps of: providing a vasehaving an upper end, a lower end, an outer surface, and an inner surfacewhich defines and encompasses an inner space, the inner space accessiblevia an opening in the upper end, wherein a portion of a floral groupinghaving an upper end is disposed within the inner space of the vase, theupper end of the floral grouping extending a distance from the upper endof the vase; providing a sheet of material having a first surface and asecond surface, the sheet of material further comprising an adhesive orcohesive connecting bonding material disposed upon a portion of thefirst surface for connecting the sheet of material to the outer surfaceof the vase; placing the sheet of material on a surface; disposing thevase with the floral grouping disposed therein on the sheet of material,such that the vase is disposed adjacent the first surface of the sheetof material and a portion of the connecting bonding material ispositioned in close proximity to a portion of the outer surface of thevase near the upper end of the vase; and wrapping the sheet of materialabout an upper portion of the vase by rolling the vase from one end ofthe sheet of material toward the other end of the sheet of materialwhereby the connecting bonding material causes the sheet of material tobe connected to a portion of the upper portion of the vase near theupper end of the vase and wherein the upper end of the floral groupingis completely encompassed and surrounded by the sheet of material suchthat an upper end of the sheet of material extends a distance above theupper end of the floral grouping.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein inthe step of providing sheet of material, the sheet of material has adetaching element for allowing an upper portion of the sheet of materialto be detached after the sheet of material has been wrapped about thevase and connected to the vase via the connecting bonding material. 3.The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material has a label disposed thereon.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing a sheet of material,the sheet of material has a bonding material for allowing a label, note,card or other delivery element to be attached to the second surface ofthe sheet of material after the sheet of material has been wrapped aboutthe vase.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing asheet of material, the sheet of material has an extension for serving asa handle after the sheet of material has been wrapped about the vase. 6.The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing the sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material is selected from a group consisting of apaper, untreated or treated in any manner, foil, polymer film, fabric,woven or non-woven or synthetic or natural, burlap, or combinationsthereof.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing thesheet of material, the sheet of material has a thickness in the range offrom about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein inthe step of providing a vase, the vase is further defined as a bud vaseand wherein the floral grouping comprises one bud or flower.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein in the step of providing the sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material further comprises a closure bondingmaterial for effecting a vertical sealed area between an upper end and alower end of the sheet of material after the wrapping step.
 10. A methodof wrapping a vase having a floral grouping disposed therein,comprising: providing a vase having an upper end, a lower end, an outersurface, and an inner surface which defines and encompasses an innerspace, the inner space accessible via an opening in the upper end,wherein a portion of a floral grouping having an upper end is disposedwithin the inner space of the vase, the upper end of the floral groupingextending a distance from the upper end of the vase; providing a sheetof material having a first surface and a second surface, the sheet ofmaterial further comprising an adhesive or cohesive connecting bondingmaterial disposed upon a portion of the first surface for connecting tothe outer surface of the vase; placing the sheet of material on aninclined surface such that the sheet of material is inclined; disposingthe vase with the floral grouping disposed therein on the inclined sheetof material, such that the vase is disposed adjacent the first surfaceof the sheet of material wherein a portion of the connecting bondingmaterial is positioned in close proximity to a portion of the outersurface of the vase near the upper end of the vase; and wrapping thesheet of material about an upper portion of the vase by rolling the vasefrom one end of the sheet of material toward the other end of the sheetof material whereby the connecting bonding material causes the sheet ofmaterial to be connected to a portion of the vase and wherein the upperend of the floral grouping is completely encompassed and surrounded bythe sheet of material such that an upper end of the sheet of materialextends a distance above the upper end of the floral grouping.
 11. Themethod of claim 10 wherein in the step of providing a sheet of material,the sheet of material has a detaching element for allowing an upperportion of the sheet of material to be detached after the sheet ofmaterial has been wrapped about the vase and connected to the vase viathe connecting bonding material.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein inthe step of providing a sheet of material, the sheet of material has alabel disposed thereon.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein in the stepof providing a sheet of material, the sheet of material has a bondingmaterial for allowing a label, note, card or other delivery element tobe attached to the second surface of the sheet of material after thesheet of material has been wrapped about the vase.
 14. The method ofclaim 10 wherein in the step of providing a sheet of material, the sheetof material has an extension for serving as a handle after the sheet ofmaterial has been wrapped about the vase.
 15. The method of claim 10wherein in the step of providing the sheet of material, the sheet ofmaterial is selected from a group consisting of a paper, untreated ortreated in any manner, foil, polymer film, fabric, woven or non-woven orsynthetic or natural, burlap, or combinations thereof.
 16. The method ofclaim 10 wherein in the step of providing sheet of material, the sheetof material has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about30 mils.
 17. The method of claim 10 wherein in the step of providing avase, the vase is further defined as a bud vase and wherein the floralgrouping comprises one bud or flower.
 18. The method of claim 10 whereinin the step of providing the sheet of material, the sheet of materialfurther comprises a closure bonding material for effecting a verticalsealed area between an upper end and a lower end of the sheet ofmaterial after the wrapping step.
 19. A method of wrapping a vase havinga floral grouping disposed therein, comprising: providing a vase havingan upper end, a lower end, an outer surface, and an inner surface whichdefines and encompasses an inner space, the inner space accessible viaan opening in the upper end, wherein a portion of a floral groupinghaving an upper end is disposed within the inner space of the vase, theupper end of the floral grouping extending a distance from the upper endof the vase; providing a flat, non-tubular sheet of material having afirst surface and a second surface, the sheet of material furthercomprising a bonding material disposed upon a portion of the firstsurface for connecting to the outer surface of the vase; placing thesheet of material on a surface; disposing the vase with the floralgrouping disposed therein on the sheet of material, such that the vaseis disposed adjacent the first surface of the sheet of material whereina portion of the connecting bonding material is positioned in closeproximity to a portion of the outer surface of the vase near the upperend of the vase; and wrapping the sheet of material about an upperportion of the vase by rolling the vase from one end of the sheet ofmaterial toward the other end of the sheet of material whereby theconnecting bonding material causes the sheet of material to be connectedto a portion of the upper portion of the vase near the upper end of thevase and wherein the upper end of the floral grouping is completelyencompassed and surrounded by the sheet of material such that an upperend of the sheet of material extends a distance above the upper end ofthe floral grouping.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step ofproviding a flat non-tubular sheet of material, the sheet of materialhas a detaching element for allowing an upper portion of the sheet ofmaterial to be detached after the sheet of material has been wrappedabout the vase and connected to the vase via the connecting bondingmaterial.
 21. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step of providing aflat non-tubular sheet of material, the sheet of material has a labeldisposed thereon.
 22. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step ofproviding a flat non-tubular sheet of material, the sheet of materialhas a bonding material for allowing a label, note, card or otherdelivery element to be attached to the second surface of the sheet ofmaterial after the sheet of material has been wrapped about the vase.23. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step of providing a flatnon-tubular sheet of material, the sheet of material has an extensionfor serving as a handle after the sheet of material has been wrappedabout the vase.
 24. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step ofproviding the flat non-tubular sheet of material, the sheet of materialis selected from a group consisting of a paper, untreated or treated inany manner, foil, polymer film, fabric, woven or non-woven or syntheticor natural, burlap, or combinations thereof.
 25. The method of claim 19wherein in the step of providing the flat non-tubular sheet of material,the sheet of material has a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 milto about 30 mils.
 26. The method of claim 19 wherein in the step ofproviding a vase, the vase is further defined as a bud vase and whereinthe floral grouping comprises one bud or flower.
 27. The method of claim19 wherein in the step of providing the flat non-tubular sheet ofmaterial, the sheet of material further comprises a closure bondingmaterial for effecting a vertical sealed area between an upper end and alower end of the sheet of material after the wrapping step.